A Sample Doggie Daycare Business Plan Template

Are you about starting a doggie daycare business? If YES, here is a complete sample doggie daycare business plan template & feasibility study you can use for FREE.

Okay, so we have considered all the requirements for starting a doggie daycare. We also took it further by analyzing and drafting a sample doggie daycare service marketing plan template backed up by actionable guerrilla marketing ideas for doggie daycare businesses. So let’s proceed to the business planning section.

Why Start a Doggie Daycare Business?

Dogs are amongst the top three most popular pets owned by individuals and families. Owning a dog is fun especially as it serves as a companion -as they are friendly and can co-habit perfectly with humans, as well as provide security. In America for example; dogs are highly regarded and accorded esteem and 1 in every 3 households where there are pets, own a dog or had owned one.

It is due to this fact that there are several dog related services, such as grooming, training, daycare, running, and amongst all these services is dog walking. Dog walkers are people who love dogs, are in-tune with canine ways and are also people who love the out weather regardless of any conditions. Dog walkers are also people who love to exercise and seek companionship.

Depending on the area and jurisdiction, those who engage in the doggie daycare business might need a license, insurance, and also might have to be trained in animal first aid. However, it doesn’t necessarily require an education or a certification before you can launch this type of business.

Starting a doggie day care business also requires that a business plan be drawn up. It is however important that you know that starting a business may not come easy. You will need to be armed with loads of information about your business. You will also need to do some good research in order to know what you are to project about. If you do not want to scale through that entire hurdle, you may want to consider employing the services of a business plan writer. On the other hand, you can use a template to tweaks yours.

A Sample Doggie Daycare Business Plan Template

The Pet Grooming and Boarding Industry Overview

The Pet Grooming and Boarding industry has proven over the years to be one of the very few established industries to publish consistently strong gains over the past decade, virtually doubling in size and growing even in the midst of recession as consumers purchase a wider array of luxury services for their pets.

The growing industry has benefited from changing consumer attitudes, which increased demand for a variety of new luxury pet services such as doggie daycare. Going forward, this trend is expected to gain further momentum as pet ownership rises and owners use their increasing disposable income on services such as doggie day care for their pets.

According to the American Pet Product Association (APPA), even though Americans loved pets, those who owned dogs were at 18.9%, third on the pet scale. It gave results that the annual growth for this industry is at 3.1% from 2009 to 2014, bringing in combined revenue – with other dog services – of $907m as at 2014. Also as at 2014, there were 22,787 people employed by dog related businesses or as independent contractors, and there were 18,144 dog service businesses.

Doggie daycare services have increased in from 2009 to 2014, and will still increase till 2019 despite the poor economic outlook. This is due to the fact that customers have more disposable income to spend on their dogs, and that dogs are considered part of the family.

According to a report, Fetch Pet Care franchises all over barely made above 1% of the total industry revenue. This is due to the fact that doggie daycare services is tailor made for immediate localities and neighborhoods, and will have clients seeking to use the services of those who lived around as they believed that these ones were likely to provide a personalized care to their dogs when they have to travel out of town or too busy to take care of their dog for the period in time.

According to the American Pet Product Association (APPA) as at 2010, Americans had spent over $47.7 billion on pet products and services, an increase of 4.8% from 2009. It was found that 46% of households owned more than one pet, and that only 3% of households use doggie daycare services.

Statistics has it that The Pet Grooming and boarding industry in the United States of America, is worth $7bn, with an estimated growth rate of 6.6 percent. There are about 106,319 registered and licensed Pet Grooming and Boarding businesses in the United States and they are responsible for employing about 195,070 people. No company can boast of dominating the market; every player in the industry can comfortably compete in the industry.

This is still an industry that is still at its infancy stage, and is projected as a growing industry with more people thinking of investing in doggie daycare centers; especially as existing doggie daycare centers are minute as compared against the population. Due to the growth of the population of baby boomers, young children, young couples, and the elderly; one can say that this industry will be on a continuous growth especially as people view a dog as a man’s best friend.

Doggie Daycare Business Plan – Executive Summary

Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. is a standard and licensed doggie day care center and one stop pet company that will be located in the heart of Smethport – Pennsylvania in a neatly renovated and secured housing facility; an organization that will carry out all round services as it relates to dogs and other pets. We will provide pet care services, such as animal shelters, obedience training services, guard dog training services, pet boarding and animal grooming services

Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. is a family owned and managed business that believe in helping pets / dog owners take care of their pets when they are out of town and in giving dogs and other pets the right treatment they need to enable them perform their roles as defined by the owner.

We will ensure that any dog or pet under our custody are well taken care of and in the pursuit of excellence and financial success with uncompromising services and integrity which is why we have decided to venture into doggie day care business. We are certain that our values will help us drive the business to enviable heights and also help us attract the numbers of clients that are needed per time to grow our business.

At Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co., our clients’ overall best interest would always come first, and everything we do will be guided by our values and professional ethics. We will ensure that we hire professional dog (pet) handlers / trainers and vet doctors et al that are well experienced and passionate in taking care and imparting knowledge and skills to dogs at various learning ladder.

Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. will at all times demonstrate her commitment to sustainability, both individually and as a doggie day care services business, by actively participating in our communities and integrating sustainable business practices wherever possible.

We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our clients’ needs precisely and completely. We will cultivate a working environment that provides a human, sustainable approach to earning a living, and living in our world, for our partners, employees and for our clients.

Our overall business goal is to position our doggie day care services business to become the leading doggie day care brand in the pet industry in the whole of Smethport – Pennsylvania, United States of America, and also to be amongst the top 10 doggie day care services in the United States of America within the first 5 years of operations.

This might look too tall a dream but we are optimistic that this will surely come to pass because we have done our research and feasibility studies and we are enthusiastic and confident that Smethport is the right place to launch our doggie day care center and pet related business.

Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. is founded by Dr. Bob Blue – Haven (Vet Doctor) and he will run the business with his business partner and Wife Mrs. Rose Blue – Haven. Dr. Bob Blue – Haven is a renowned and licensed Vet Doctor and dog handler / trainer. He has well over 15 years of experience as a vet doctor and dog handler/ trainer for various security agencies including the government of the United States of America.

Our Product and Services

Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. is going to offer a variety of pet related services (dog walking and dog training services inclusive) within the scope of the pet industry in the United States of America. Our intention of starting our doggie day care center and pet related business is to provide a safe facility for owners of dogs / pets to keep their pets whenever they are not in town and also to help in developing our client’s dogs and pets in any skills and knowledge of their choice as it relates to specific useful competencies they want their dogs or pet to possess.

We want to help our clients develop their pets and dogs capability, capacity, productivity and performance and of course to also make profits from The Pet Grooming and Boarding industry and we will do all that is permitted by the law in the US to achieve our aim and business goal.

Our vision is to build a highly competitive and effective doggie day care business that will become the number one choice for both individuals and corporate organizations in Smethport – Pennsylvania.

Our Mission Statement

Our mission is to position Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. to become one of the leading doggie day care cum pet services brand in the industry in the whole of Smethport – Pennsylvania, and also to be amongst the top 10 doggie day care cum pet services brand in the United States of America within the first 5 years of operations.

Our Business Structure

The success of any business is to a larger extent dependent on the business structure of the organization and the people who occupy the available role. Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. will build a solid business structure that can support the growth of our doggie day care services and pet related business. We will ensure that we hire competent hands to help us build the business of our dream.

The fact that we want to become one of the leading doggie day care services business brand in the industry in the whole of the United States of America makes it highly necessary for our organization to deliberately build a well – structured business from the onset.

We will work hard to ensure that we only attract people with the right mindset to help us achieve our business goals and objectives in record time. Below is the business structure that we will build Pet Nation® Dog Walking Services Co.;

Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization

Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports; analyzes financial feasibility for the most complex proposed projects; conducts market research to forecast trends and business conditions.

Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.

Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting for one or more properties.

Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies

Welcomes / receive clients and their pets by greeting them in person or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.

Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level

Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services

Manages administrative duties assigned by the HR and Admin Manager in an effective and timely manner

Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the organizations’ products, promotional campaigns etc. to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients when they make enquiries

Receives parcels / documents for Pet Nation® Dog Walking Services Co.

Distributes mails in the organization

Handles any other duties as assigned by the Human Resources and Admin Manager.

Doggie Daycare Business Plan – SWOT Analysis

Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. engaged the services of a core professional in the area of business consulting and structuring to assist our organization in building a well – structured doggie day care services and pet related business that can favorably compete in the highly competitive Pet Grooming and Boarding industry in the United States and the world at large.

Part of what the team of business consultant did was to work with the management of our organization in conducting a SWOT analysis for Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co.;

Strength:

Our core strength lies in the power of our team; our workforce. We have a team that are considered experts in the Pet Grooming and Boarding industry, a team with excellent qualifications and experience in dog walking and pet related services including veterinary medicine.

Aside from the synergy that exist in our carefully selected workforce, Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. is well positioned in a community with the right demography; loads of people who own pets. With that we know we will attract loads of clients from the first day we open our doors for business.

Weakness:

As a new doggie day care center and pet related services company in Smethport – Pennsylvania, it might take some time for our organization to break into the market and gain acceptance especially from top profile clients in the already saturated Pet Grooming and Boarding industry; that is perhaps our major weakness. Other perceived weakness is that, we may not have the required capital to pump into publicity and advertisement as we would love to do.

Opportunities:

No doubt, the opportunities in the Pet Grooming and Boarding industry is massive considering the number of individuals and corporate organizations who own dogs and other pets who would want to drop them off in doggie daycare or want them to acquire new skill sets and to perform excellently well in their jobs or who would want to bring their pets for treatment or to purchase pet supplies. As a standard dog walking services and pet related business, we are ready to take advantage of any opportunity that comes our way.

Threat:

Every business faces a threat or challenge at any part of the life cycle of the business. These threats can be external or internal. This shows the importance of a business plan, because most threats or challenges are to be anticipated and plans put in place to cushion what effect they might bring to the business.

Some of the threats that we are likely going to face as a doggie day care center and pet related business operating in the United States of America are unfavorable government policies that might affect business such as ours, the arrival of a competitor within our location of operations and global economic downturn which usually affects spending / purchasing power. There is hardly anything we can do as regards these threats other than to be optimistic that things will continue to work for our good.

Doggie Daycare Business Plan – MARKET ANALYSIS

Market Trends

Over the years, the Pet Grooming and Boarding industry is one of the very few established industries to publish consistently strong gains over the past decade, virtually doubling in size and growing even in the midst of recession as consumers purchase a wider array of luxury services for their pets.

The growing industry has benefited from changing consumer attitudes, which increased demand for a variety of new luxury pet services such as doggie daycare. Going forward, this trend is expected to gain further momentum as pet ownership rises and owners use their increasing disposable income on services such as doggie day care for their pets.

One thing is certain, the trend in the Pet Grooming and Boarding industry is such that if you want to be ahead of your competitors, you should be able to be highly creative, simplify your processes and you should be able to have loads of testimonies from your clients.

The truth is that, if your clients noticed tremendous changes in their pets as a result of your input, then they will be compelled to help promote your organization. Another notable trend in this industry is the demographic and psychographic composition of those who require the services of a doggie day care.

Our Target Market

Before starting our doggie day care services and pet related business, we are certain that there is a wide range of both corporate and individual clients who would definitely need our services. We will ensure that we develop strategic pacts with communities and corporate organizations especially security agencies that make use of dogs for guards. This will give us several options to generate revenue for our company.

In view of that, we have created strategies that will enable us reach out to various corporate organizations (security agencies) and individual (pet owners) who we know can’t afford to do without our services. We have conducted our market research and survey and we will ensure that our doggie day care services are well accepted in the market place.

Below is a list of the people and organizations that we have specifically market our products and services to;

Corporate organizations (especially security agencies)

Business people who own dogs

Busy corporate executives who own dogs

Households who own pets

Dog breeders

The Government (Public Sector)

Our Competitive Advantage

Even though, this is basically a new area of business that doesn’t have stiff major competitors, there are still competitors all the same. The competition available is most likely those within the same locality, and anyone looking to stay above competition would have to consider sweetening the services offered to dog owners.

Even so, local doggie day care centers that are serious with the business can comfortably compete with franchises that are located in the same neighborhood. We are quite aware that to be highly competitive in the Pet Grooming and Boarding industry means that you should be able to deliver consistent quality service and you should be able to meet the expectations of your clients at all times.

Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. might be new Smethport – Pennsylvania, our competitive advantage lies in the power of our team; our workforce. We have a team that are considered experts in the Pet Grooming and Boarding industry, a team with excellent qualifications and experience in dog walking and pet related services including veterinary medicine.

Aside from the synergy that exist in our carefully selected workforce, Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. is well positioned in a community with the right demography; loads of people who own pets. With that we know we will attract loads of clients from the first day we open our doors for business.

Lastly, our employees (dog handlers / pet trainers, and vet doctors) will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category (startups doggie day care centers and pet related businesses in the United States) in the industry. It will enable them to be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our business aims and objectives.

Doggie Daycare Business Plan – SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

We are mindful of the fact that there is stiffer competition amongst doggie day care centers services and pet related businesses in the United States of America, hence we have been able to hire some of the best marketing experts to handle our sales and marketing.

Our sales and marketing team will be recruited based on their vast experience in the industry and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall goal of Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co.

We will also ensure that our clients’ pets are well taken care of and they become experts with the skills they acquire; we want to build a standard and first – class doggie day care center and pet related business that will leverage on word of mouth advertisement from satisfied clients (both individuals and corporate organizations).

Our goal is to grow Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. to become one of the top 10 doggie day care centers in the United States of America which is why we have mapped out strategy that will help us take advantage of the available market and grow to become a major force to reckon with not only in Smethport – Pennsylvania but also in other cities in the United States of America.

Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. is set to make use of the following marketing and sales strategies to attract clients;

Print out fliers and business cards and strategically drop them in offices, libraries, public facilities and train stations et al.

Use friends and family to spread word about our doggie day care services and pet related business

Post information about our doggie day care services and pet related business on bulletin boards in places like schools, libraries, and local coffee shops.

Placing a small or classified advertisement in the newspaper, or local publication about our business

Attend relevant pet related expos, seminars, and business fairs et al

Engage direct marketing approach

Encourage word of mouth marketing from loyal and satisfied clients.

Sources of Income

Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the Pet Grooming and Boarding industry and we are going to go all the way to ensure that we do all it takes to attract clients on a regular basis.

We will generate income by offering the following products and services;

One thing is certain, there would always be corporate organization and individual / household pet owners who would need people to take proper care of their dogs or that extra coaching or grooming for their dogs and other pets. This is the major reason why the services of doggie day care will always be needed.

We are well positioned to take on the available market in Smethport – Pennsylvania and we are quite optimistic that we will meet our set target of generating enough income / profits from the first six month of operations and grow our clientele base.

We have been able to critically examine the Pet Grooming and Boarding industry and we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast. The sales projection is based on information gathered on the field and some assumptions that are peculiar to similar startups in Smethport – Pennsylvania.

Below is the sales projection for Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co., it is based on the location of our dog walking services, vet clinic and of course the wide range of pet related services and products that we will be offering;

First Year-: $100,000

Second Year-: $350,000

Third Year-: $750,000

N.B: This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and there won’t be any major competitor offering same additional services as we do within same location. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.

Our Pricing Strategy

Generally for doggie day care services and dog walking services business both per hour billing and flat fees on a weekly or monthly basis applies. As a result of this, Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. will charge our clients flat fees except for few occasions where there will be need for us to charge special students on hourly basis.

At Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. we will keep our fees below the average market rate for all of our clients by keeping our overhead low and by collecting payment in advance. In addition, we will also offer special discounted rates to all our loyal clients at regular intervals.

We are aware that there are some clients that would need special assistance for their pets, we will offer flat rate for such services that will be tailored to take care of such clients’ needs.

Payment Options

At Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co., our payment policy will be all inclusive because we are quite aware that different people prefer different payment options as it suits them. Here are the payment options that we will make available to our clients;

Payment by via bank transfer

Payment via online bank transfer

Payment via check

Payment via bank draft

Payment via mobile money

Payment with cash

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will help us achieve our plans with little or no itches.

Doggie Daycare Business Plan – Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We have been able to work with our brand and publicity consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market. We are set to become the number one choice for both corporate clients and private clients in the whole of Smethport – Pennsylvania which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our doggie day care services and pet related business.

Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co.;

Place adverts on both print (community based newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms

Doggie Daycare Business Plan – Financial Projections and Costing

In setting up a doggie day care center and pet related business, the amount or cost will depend on the approach and scale you want to undertake. If you intend to go big by renting a place, then you would need a higher amount of capital as you would need to ensure that your employees are well taken care of, and that your office environment is conducive enough for clients and their pets.

The materials and equipment that will be used are nearly the same cost everywhere, and any difference in prices would be minimal and can be overlooked. As for the detailed cost analysis for starting a doggie day care services and pet related business; it might differ in other countries due to the value of their money. However, this is what it would cost us in the United of America;

Business incorporating fees in the United States of America will cost – $750.

The budget for Liability insurance, permits and license will cost – $3,500

Acquiring a facility or apartment for at least 6 months (Re – Construction of the facility inclusive) will cost – $35,000.

Amount need to pay bills and staff members for at least 2 to 3 months – $70,000

Additional Expenditure such as Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions will cost – $5,000

While a home tutor might not have to incur all these expenses but going by the above report, we will need an average of $250,000 to start a medium scale doggie day care center in the United States of America.

Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. is a family business that will be owned by Dr. Bob Blue – Haven (Vet Doctor) and he will run the business with his business partner and Wife Mrs. Rose Blue – Haven. They are the sole financial of the business which is why they decided to restrict the sourcing of the start – up capital for the business to just three major sources.

These are the areas we intend generating our start – up capital;

Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks

Generate part of the start – up capital from friends and other extended family members

Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the bank (loan facility).

N.B: We have been able to generate about $50,000 (Personal savings $35,000 and soft loan from family members $15,000) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $200,000 from our bank. All the papers and document has been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.

The future of a business lies in the numbers of loyal customers that they have the capacity and competence of the employees, their investment strategy and the business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before the business close shop.

One of our major goals of starting Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running.

We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to offer our doggie day care services and pet related business a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are well prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.

Pet Nation® Doggie Daycare Services Co. will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and re – training of our workforce is at the top burner of our business strategy.

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of three years or more as determined by the board of the organization. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.

Check List / Milestone

Business Name Availability Check: Completed

Business Incorporation: Completed

Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts various banks in the United States: Completed

Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed

Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress

Application for business license and permit: Completed

Purchase of All form of Insurance for the Business: Completed

Secure a standard facility for the doggie day care center plus reconstruction of the facility: Completed

Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed

Generating part of the start – up capital from the founders: Completed